January sees arrival of 9.83 lakh foreign tourists

The Ministry of Tourism on Friday said the 9.83 lakh foreign tourists visited the country in January this year, registering a growth of 16.5 per cent compared to January last year.

The number of foreign tourists was 8.44 lakh in January 2016 while 7.91 lakh in January 2015.

According to the ministry, the US topped the list of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during January 2017, followed by Bangladesh, Britain, Canada, and Russia.

Also, a growth of 72 per cent was observed in the tourists arrived on e-Visa in January this year, which was 1.52 lakh, compared to the corresponding month last year.

"The share of tourists availing e-Visa facility in January 2017 has reached a level of 15.5 per cent as against 10.4 per cent in the month of January 2016. This clearly outlines the steady success of e-Visa facility in quantifiable terms," reads a release.

The major share of tourists availing e-Visa facilities in January 2017 were from Britain, the US, Russia, China and France.

--IANS

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